Transaction split fees

ABSTRACT

A transaction fee imposed by a payment provider may be allocated between the parties to an on-line transaction in any way and at any time. This adds flexibility to the transaction and allows the parties to allocate the transaction fee on a per transaction basis that best suits the parties.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to on-line payments and moreparticularly to on-line payment fees.

2. Related Art

More and more consumers are purchasing items and services overelectronic networks, such as the Internet. Consumers routinely searchfor and purchase products and services from merchants and individualsalike. The transactions can take place directly between an on-linemerchant or retailer and the consumer, where payment is typically madeby entering credit card or other financial information. Purchasingthrough the Internet from the convenience of a consumer's home, office,or virtually anywhere (with mobile devices) is one main reason whyon-line purchases are growing faster and faster.

However, one disadvantage with on-line transactions, as opposed tophysical point of sale (POS) transactions, is the assurance of paymentby the seller and receipt of the purchased item by the buyer. Paymentproviders, like PayPal, Inc. of San Jose, Calif., can process a paymentfor an on-line transaction. Such payment providers can make transactionseasier and safer for the parties. For this service, though, paymentproviders typically charge a fee for the seller and/or the buyer.

These fees are generally fixed by the payment provider prior to engagingin the transaction. In most situations, the fee is imposed on theseller. As a result, the seller sometimes lists or offers items forslightly more to cover that additional fee or the seller may addadditional costs for the purchase, such as in a shipping and handlingcharge. Such buyers may not be aware of the additional charge imposed bythe payment provider, which benefits both the seller and the buyer. As aresult, potential buyers viewing the listings may pass on a purchasebecause they believe the seller has too high a shipping and handlingcost or the item is priced too high.

SUMMARY

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, a transaction feeimposed by a payment provider may be allocated between the parties inany way and at any time. This adds flexibility to the transaction andallows the parties to allocate the transaction fee on a per transactionbasis that best suits the parties. The transaction fee can also includeshipping and handling fees or any other fees added to the paymentprovider fee.

In one embodiment, the transaction fee varies with the funding source ofthe buyer or sender. For example, a bank account may have a lowertransaction fee than a credit card. In this embodiment, when a buyerdecides or selects a funding source, the payment provider presents thetransaction fee to the parties. The parties then decide betweenthemselves how that fee is to be split. Once agreed upon, the split isconveyed to the payment provider, who then processes the paymentaccording to the split.

The transaction fee may be known by both parties, such as the paymentprovider conveying the transaction fee or the seller informing the buyerof the fee. The parties may agree to a fee split any time prior tocompleting the transaction. In other embodiments, the transaction mayfirst be completed, and the parties then decide how to split the fee. Ifan agreement cannot be reached, the transaction may be canceled byeither party. If more than two parties are involved, the transaction feemay be split between all the parties. The payment provider thenprocesses the payment accordingly.

As a result, buyers are more informed of fees associated with atransaction with the payment provider, the seller can shift a portion ofthe fees to the buyer, and the parties have more transparency to totalcosts of the transaction. This can result in a higher likelihood that atransaction can be completed.

These and other features and advantages of the present invention will bemore readily apparent from the detailed description of the embodimentsset forth below taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing a process for making a payment bysplitting transaction fees according to one embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a process performed by a payment providerfor processing a transaction with split fees according to oneembodiment;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a process for making a split feetransaction according to another embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a networked system used in a split feetransaction according to an embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a computer system suitable for implementingone or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

Embodiments of the present disclosure and their advantages are bestunderstood by referring to the detailed description that follows. Itshould be appreciated that like reference numerals are used to identifylike elements illustrated in one or more of the figures, whereinshowings therein are for purposes of illustrating embodiments of thepresent disclosure and not for purposes of limiting the same.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a flowchart 100 showing a process for making a payment bysplitting transaction fees according to one embodiment of the presentdisclosure. At step 102, a transaction between at least two parties isidentified. In a typical transaction, a buyer locates a desired item ona merchant or seller site. This can be done through any device with anInternet browser, such as a smart phone, PDA, PC, etc. Thus, an item canbe located by browsing the Internet, finding an appropriate merchant orretailer site, and selecting the item for purchase. The purchase mayalso be through an auction site or classified site. In addition tophysical goods, the transaction may be for an application or digitalgood from an on-line store. Such items are simply downloaded onto aconsumer or recipient device, as opposed to a physical good that isreceived at a physical location. Examples of digital goods include animage, such as to send to someone else on a networking site or forpersonal use, such as for an avatar. Applications may includeapplications available through a store such as iTunes for the iPhone byApple. Items are used broadly to include anything that a user canpurchase or make a payment for on-line. This includes donations or othercharitable contributions. In one example, which will used throughout thediscussion for FIG. 1, the identified transaction is an on-line purchaseof an item by a buyer from a seller. Note that this example is forillustration only and in no ways limiting.

Once the transaction has been identified, the parties to the transactionare identified at step 104. Note that identifying the parties can bebefore or during step 102 in different embodiments. The parties mayinclude more than just a buyer and seller or recipient. There may bedevelopers, “middle men,” distributors, etc. that are part of thetransaction. In the current example, the parties are the buyer, who maybe a typical consumer, and the seller, who may be an on-line retailer.

Next, at step 106, a determination is made whether a fee split has beenset. A fee split may be defined as how a transaction fee is allocatedbetween the parties. For example, a payment provider, such as PayPal,Inc. of San Jose, Calif., may charge a fee for handling the payment, theseller or a shipper may charge a fee for shipping and/or handling, amiddle man may charge a fee for putting together the transaction, etc.Thus, a transaction fee may be any fee associated with a transaction,but is typically a payment provider service charge, along with possiblyshipping and handling charges imposed by the seller. The transaction feecan be a combination of fees or separated into two or more distinct andseparate fees. For purposes of discussion, the transaction fee discussedin the examples is just the payment provider fee. A payment provider feeis typically charged to the seller, but can be charged to the buyer.

A transaction fee may be charged by a service provider acting as amiddle-man to facilitate a transaction between a buyer and a seller. Theservice provider may provide the forum (such as a web site) for sellersto list items and for buyers to find and purchase items. The serviceprovider may impose a fee on either the seller or the buyer when apurchase is made. The amount of a transaction fee may depend on manydifferent factors, including, but not limited to, type of seller (e.g.,individual or business), number of transactions, dollar amount oftransaction, funding source for buyer, etc.

Typically, for a payment provider fee, the transaction fee is set andpaid by the seller. However, in embodiments of the present invention,the transaction fee is split between one or more parties to thetransaction. For example, a fee of $1.00 may be set, with $0.60 to bepaid by the seller and $0.40 to be paid by the buyer upon completion ofthe transaction. The fee split may be initially determined by the selleror by the payment provider. If no fee split has been set, as determinedat step 106, a fee split is set at step 108. The fee split may bedetermined by the seller, buyer, or the payment provider and may bebased on the transactions and/or the parties identified at steps 102 and104, respectively.

For example, the seller may set a lower split amount for the buyer ifthe buyer is a regular purchaser of the seller's items. A high pricedpurchase may result in the seller setting a lower fee split for thebuyer as well, since the transaction fee will be a relatively minor partof the total purchase price and the seller is more concerned withcompleting the transaction than saving a few cents or dollars on thetransaction fee. In other examples, the buyer may set the fee split aspart of an offer for the seller's goods. The fee split may again dependon similar factors as when the seller sets the fee split. The paymentprovider may also set the fee split, with the split depending on anynumber of factors including data about the seller, data about the buyer,the amount of the transaction, etc.

Once the fee split is set, a determination is made at step 110 whetherthere is an agreement between the parties for the fee split. Forexample, if the split was set at $0.40 for the buyer and $0.60 for theseller, the parties may agree by electing to confirm the split or thetransaction. Agreement may also be through other means, such as email ortext. If an agreement is reached, the payment is determined or allocatedat step 112. Continuing with the above example, if the total purchaseprice (including any fees other than the transaction fee) is $60.00, thebuyer would be obligated to pay an additional $0.40 for a total paymentof $60.40, with $60 going to the seller and $0.40 going to the paymentprovider. The seller would be responsible for paying the additional$0.60 to the payment provider for the total transaction fee of $1.00.

After the payment amount(s) have been determined, the transaction isprocessed at step 114. The payment provider may credit the seller'saccount the appropriate amount. In one example, the seller's account iscredited $59.40, which is the purchase price of $60 minus the seller'sportion of the transaction fee. The payment provider may also debit thebuyer's account, e.g., $60.40, which is the purchase amount plus thebuyer's portion of the transaction fee. The seller and/or buyer can benotified by the payment provider of a completed transaction.

Referring back to step 110, if there is no agreement on the fee split,two possibilities may occur. In one possibility, one or more partiesproposes a new fee split at step 108 in an attempt to reach anagreement. This may then result in an agreed upon fee split, and thetransaction continues as discussed previously. In another possibility,no agreement can be reached between the parties, resulting in thetransaction being canceled.

A fee split feature, as discussed herein, provides numerous advantages.For example, transaction fees can be variable and depend on differentfactors, such as funding source (i.e., credit card, bank account, etc.).This provides flexibility and may give the parties the best rate basedon the funding source. As a result, the parties may save money and thepayment provider may receive a fee most suited for its business.Furthermore, the fee split can be set at any time, again giving moreflexibility for the parties. The fee may be set when an item is listed,such as at an auction, or the fee may be set after a transaction isinitiated, such as during a checkout process. The fee split may be setas a dollar amount, a percentage of the purchase price, or some othermeans. Since the parties know the amount of any transaction fees priorto concluding a transaction, there are not surprises or cause forcomplaints later.

While the above has focused on a two-party transaction (seller andbuyer), there may be more than two parties to a transaction, asmentioned earlier. Fees may be split between all parties or justselected ones. There may also be different fees at different stages ofthe transaction, so that fees may be split at any or all of thesestages. The payment provider can then easily allocate the various feesplits to the appropriate parties and process the payments.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart 200 showing steps performed by a payment providerto process a payment where transaction fees are split, according to oneembodiment. At step 202, the payment provider receives transaction data,such as one or more parties selecting a button or link from an on-lineto transmit information to the payment provider. Information mayinclude, in various embodiments, details of the purchase includingprice, the parties to the transaction including ID, name, and type, afunding source of the buyer, and account information.

After receiving the transaction data, the payment provider determines,at step 204, whether a transaction fee has been set, which may beincluded in the transaction data. The transaction fee may have beenpreset and listed as part of the offering. However, in otherembodiments, the transaction fee may not have been preset. For example,the transaction fee may be dependent on funding source or othertransactional data. In that case, the payment provider sets thetransaction fee, at step 206, based on the information received at step202.

Once the fee is known, either preset or set based on transaction data, adetermination is made at step 208 whether a split for the transactionfee has been received. This indicates that the parties have agreed tosome splitting of the transaction fee. Note that the split could be a100/0 split, such that one party is solely responsible for thetransaction fee, while the other party has no responsibility for thefee. The payment provider may receive a proposed fee split made by oneparty after the transaction fee is known but before the parties havereached an agreement as to the split.

If a fee split has been received, the payment provider uses the data totransmit payment information to one or more parties at step 210. The feesplit data may include a percentage or dollar amount of the amount to besplit between each party to the transaction. The payment provider thenadjusts the payment amounts based on the transaction fee and splitamount. At this point, the parties have the final payment amounts anddetails of the transaction so that the transaction can be confirmed ifdesired. This determination is made at step 212. A received confirmationmay include the buyer selecting or clicking on a “Pay,” “Confirm,” orother similar button or link. This causes the information to betransmitted to and received by the payment provider.

Once confirmation is received, the payment provider processes thepayment at step 214. Using the information received, the paymentprovider is able to determine how much to credit to or debit from eachparty's account. Thus, the received information typically includesaccount information of the parties, identifying information of theparties, contact information of the parties, and details of thepurchase. Processing may also include transmitting a confirmation of acompleted transaction to one or more of the parties.

Referring back to step 208, if no fee split was received, which mayindicate that the parties have not agreed to a fee split or that no feesplit has been set or proposed, a determination is made at step 216whether a cancellation was received. If the parties could not agree to afee split, one of the parties may have canceled the transaction, such asclicking on a “Cancel” button or link. A cancellation may also beconveyed by other means, as is known by those skilled in the art. If acancellation is received or detected, the transaction is canceled.

The transaction may also be canceled even after the parties have agreedon a fee split. Referring to step 212, one of the parties may cancel ornot confirm the transaction at a later stage of the processing, such asduring a checkout or final payment portion. In that case, the buyer maydecide to cancel the transaction, such as selecting a “cancel” orsimilar button or link, or simply closing the window or powering off thedevice without confirming the transaction.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart 300 showing a process for making an on-linetransaction with fee splitting according to another embodiment of thepresent invention. At step 302, the transaction is identified, which mayinclude identification of the items to be purchased, cost of the items,costs imposed by the seller, and any other costs associated with thetransaction outside transaction fees. Next, the parties are identifiedat step 304. Note that steps 302 and 304 may occur together instead ofseparately and can be in different order.

Identification of the parties may include the identity of one or more ofthe parties involved in the transaction, account information of theparties, funding source of the buyer, location of the parties, and anyother relevant information about the parties needed or desired by thepayment provider. This information, in conjunction with the transactioninformation, will help the payment provider determine a transaction feeat step 306.

The amount of the transaction fee may be based on any number of factorsand may vary between transactions, parties, and payment providers. Forexample, the transaction fee may be lower for a lower cost transaction,a valued seller, buyer, and/or other party to the transaction, a highvolume seller, less complicated transactions, transactions betweenparties in the same country or using the same currency, and/or a “lower”risk transaction. A lower risk transaction may be one in which thepayment provider has a higher confidence level that the parties will notdispute the transaction later. A lower transaction fee may also be givenwhen certain buyer funding sources are used, such as a debit card orbank account as opposed to a credit card. Higher transaction fees may beimposed on higher dollar amount transactions, less valued sellers and/orbuyers, riskier transactions, more difficult transactions, and/or abuyer funding source that makes the funding more difficult or costly.

Once the fee is set, the fee is conveyed to the parties, where a feesplit is determined. At step 106, a determination is made whether thefee split has been set, such as described above with respect to FIG. 1.The remaining steps are similar to those in FIG. 1 and will not berepeated in detail. If the fee split has not been determined, the feesplit is set at step 108. A determination is then made at step 110whether there is an agreement between the parties to the fee split. Ifnot, the parties attempt to reach an agreement, such as by modifying thefee split if needed. If no agreement is reached, the transaction may becanceled.

If the parties agree to the fee split, the payment is allocated at step112, which includes at least the buyer's portion of the transaction fee.If the transaction is confirmed, the payment provider processes thetransaction at 114 by debiting the appropriate amount from the buyer'saccount and crediting the appropriate amount to the seller's account,where the amount may be different between the two accounts.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a networked system 400 used in an on-linepayment transaction, such as described above, according to an embodimentof the invention. System 400 includes a client device 410, a merchantserver 440, and a payment service provider server 470 in communicationover a network 460. Payment service provider server 470 may bemaintained by a payment provider, such as PayPal, Inc. of San Jose,Calif.

Client device 410, merchant server 440, and payment service providerserver 470 may each include one or more processors, memories, and otherappropriate components for executing instructions such as program codeand/or data stored on one or more computer readable mediums to implementthe various applications, data, and steps described herein. For example,such instructions may be stored in one or more computer readable mediumsuch as memories or data storage devices internal and/or external tovarious components of system 400, and/or accessible over network 460.

Network 460 may be implemented as a single network or a combination ofmultiple networks. For example, in various embodiments, network 460 mayinclude the Internet or one or more intranets, landline networks,wireless networks, and/or other appropriate types of networks.

Client device 410 may be implemented using any appropriate combinationof hardware and/or software configured for wired and/or wirelesscommunication over network 460. For example, in one embodiment, clientdevice 410 may be implemented as a personal computer of a user 405 incommunication with the Internet. In other embodiments, client device 410may be a smart phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), laptop computer,and/or other types of computing devices.

As shown, client device 410 may include one or more browser applications415 which may be used, for example, to provide a convenient interface topermit user 405 to browse information available over network 460. Forexample, in one embodiment, browser application 415 may be implementedas a web browser configured to view information available over theInternet.

Client device 410 may also include one or more toolbar applications 420which may be used, for example, to provide client-side processing forperforming desired tasks in response to operations selected by user 405.In one embodiment, toolbar application 420 may display a user interfacein connection with browser application 415.

Client device 410 may further include other applications 425 as may bedesired in particular embodiments to provide desired features to clientdevice 410. In particular, applications 425 may include a paymentapplication and quick pay button, such as described herein for quickpayments through a payment provider. Applications 425 may also includesecurity applications for implementing client-side security features,programmatic client applications for interfacing with appropriateapplication programming interfaces (APIs) over network 460, or othertypes of applications. Email and/or text applications may also beincluded, which allow user 405 to send and receive emails and/or textmessages through network 460. Client device 410 includes one or moreuser and/or device identifiers 430 which may be implemented, forexample, as operating system registry entries, cookies associated withbrowser application 415, identifiers associated with hardware of clientdevice 410, or other appropriate identifiers, such as a phone number. Inone embodiment, user identifier 430 may be used by a payment serviceprovider to associate user 405 with a particular account maintained bythe payment service provider as further described herein.

Merchant server 440 may be maintained, for example, by an on-linemerchant, digital goods seller, or application developer offeringvarious products and/or services in exchange for payment to be receivedover network 460, including digital goods and applications. Merchantserver 440 may include a database 445 identifying available productsand/or services (e.g., collectively referred to as items) which may bemade available for viewing and purchase by user 405. Accordingly,merchant server 440 also includes a marketplace application 450 whichmay be configured to provide information over network 460 to browser 415of client device 410. For example, in one embodiment, user 405 mayinteract with marketplace application 450 through browser applicationsover network 460 in order to search and view various items identified indatabase 445.

Merchant server 440 also includes a checkout application 455 which maybe configured to facilitate the purchase by user 405 of items identifiedby marketplace application 450. Checkout application 455 may beconfigured to accept payment information from user 405 and/or frompayment service provider server 470 over network 460.

In one embodiment, merchant server 440 further includes a deliveryapplication 435 which may be configured to deliver a digital ordownloadable item to client device 410. For example, if user 405purchases a downloadable item or enhancement from the merchant, deliveryapplication 435 has the ability to transmit or download the item ontoclient device 410 or allow additional access to user 405 after paymentis confirmed by payment service provider server 470.

Payment service provider server 470 may be maintained, for example, byan online payment service provider which may provide payment on behalfof user 405 to the operator of merchant server 440. Payment serviceprovider server 470 includes one or more payment applications 475 whichmay be configured to interact with client device 410 and/or merchantserver 440 over network 460 to facilitate the purchase of items by user405 of client device 410 from a merchant operating server 440.

Payment service provider server 470 also maintains a plurality of useraccounts 480, each of which may include account information 485associated with individual users. For example, in one embodiment,account information 485 may include private financial information ofusers of devices such as account numbers, passwords, credit cardinformation, bank information, or other financial information which maybe used to facilitate online transactions by user 405, as well as deviceinformation from a phone or PC that aids in determining whether apayment request is to be approved. Payment application 475 may beconfigured to interact with merchant server 440 on behalf of user 405during a transaction with checkout application 455 and deliveryapplication 435 to track and manage purchases made by users.

Payment service provider server 470 also includes a fee application 490which may be configured to process information associated withdetermining and allocating one or more transaction fees for atransaction. A payment processing application 495 may be configured toreceive payment request information via client device 410 includingtransaction information, merchant information, funding information,and/or user information, process the payment request, and store/retrieveinformation as needed in a database 496. Fee application 490, processingapplication 495 and/or database 496 may all or part of paymentapplication 475.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a computer system 500 suitable forimplementing one or more embodiments of the present disclosure. Invarious implementations, the user device may comprise a personalcomputing device (e.g., a personal computer, laptop, smart phone, PDA,etc.) capable of communicating with the network. The merchant and/orpayment provider may utilize a network computing device (e.g., a networkserver) capable of communicating with the network. It should beappreciated that each of the devices utilized by users, merchants, andpayment providers may be implemented as computer system 400 in a manneras follows.

In accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure,computer system 500, such as a personal computer and/or a networkserver, includes a bus 502 or other communication mechanism forcommunicating information, which interconnects subsystems andcomponents, such as a processing component 504 (e.g., processor,micro-controller, digital signal processor (DSP), etc.), a system memorycomponent 506 (e.g., RAM), a static storage component 508 (e.g., ROM), adisk drive component 510 (e.g., magnetic or optical), a networkinterface component 512 (e.g., modem or Ethernet card), a displaycomponent 514 (e.g., CRT or LCD), an input component 516 (e.g.,keyboard, keypad, or virtual keyboard), and a cursor control component518 (e.g., mouse, pointer, or trackball). In one implementation, diskdrive component 510 may comprise a database having one or more diskdrive components.

In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, computersystem 500 performs specific operations by processor 504 executing oneor more sequences of instructions contained in system memory component506, such as described above with respect to the consumer, merchant,and/or payment provider in FIGS. 1-3. Such instructions may be read intosystem memory component 506 from another computer readable medium, suchas static storage component 508 or disk drive component 510. In otherembodiments, hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of or incombination with software instructions to implement the presentdisclosure.

Logic may be encoded in a computer readable medium, which may refer toany medium that participates in providing instructions to processor 504for execution. Such a medium may take many forms, including but notlimited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmission media.In various implementations, non-volatile media includes optical ormagnetic disks, such as disk drive component 510, volatile mediaincludes dynamic memory, such as system memory component 506, andtransmission media includes coaxial cables, copper wire, and fiberoptics, including wires that comprise bus 502. In one example,transmission media may take the form of acoustic or light waves, such asthose generated during radio wave and infrared data communications.

Some common forms of computer readable media includes, for example,floppy disk, flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magneticmedium, CD-ROM, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, anyother physical medium with patterns of holes, RAM, PROM, EPROM,FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, carrier wave, or anyother medium from which a computer is adapted to read.

In various embodiments of the present disclosure, execution ofinstruction sequences to practice the present disclosure may beperformed by computer system 500. In various other embodiments of thepresent disclosure, a plurality of computer systems 500 coupled by acommunication link 520 to the network (e.g., such as a LAN, WLAN, PTSN,and/or various other wired or wireless networks, includingtelecommunications, mobile, and cellular phone networks) may performinstruction sequences to practice the present disclosure in coordinationwith one another.

Computer system 500 may transmit and receive messages, data, informationand instructions, including one or more programs (i.e., applicationcode) through communication link 520 and a communication interface 512.Network interface component 512 may include an antenna, either separateor integrated, to enable transmission and reception via communicationlink 520. Received program code may be executed by processor 504 asreceived and/or stored in disk drive component 510 or some othernon-volatile storage component for execution.

Where applicable, various embodiments provided by the present disclosuremay be implemented using hardware, software, or combinations of hardwareand software. Also, where applicable, the various hardware componentsand/or software components set forth herein may be combined intocomposite components comprising software, hardware, and/or both withoutdeparting from the spirit of the present disclosure. Where applicable,the various hardware components and/or software components set forthherein may be separated into sub-components comprising software,hardware, or both without departing from the scope of the presentdisclosure. In addition, where applicable, it is contemplated thatsoftware components may be implemented as hardware components andvice-versa.

Software, in accordance with the present disclosure, such as programcode and/or data, may be stored on one or more computer readablemediums. It is also contemplated that software identified herein may beimplemented using one or more general purpose or specific purposecomputers and/or computer systems, networked and/or otherwise. Whereapplicable, the ordering of various steps described herein may bechanged, combined into composite steps, and/or separated into sub-stepsto provide features described herein.

The foregoing disclosure is not intended to limit the present disclosureto the precise forms or particular fields of use disclosed. As such, itis contemplated that various alternate embodiments and/or modificationsto the present disclosure, whether explicitly described or impliedherein, are possible in light of the disclosure. Having thus describedembodiments of the present disclosure, persons of ordinary skill in theart will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail withoutdeparting from the scope of the present disclosure. Thus, the presentdisclosure is limited only by the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of performing on-line payments,comprising: receiving, by a processor of a payment provider, data for anon-line transaction between at least a first party and a second party;determining, by the processor, a transaction fee for the on-linetransaction; receiving a split amount for the transaction fee between atleast the first party and the second party, wherein the split amount isvariable and depends on at least one of the parties; and processing apayment request based on the data and the split amount if the on-linetransaction and the split amount are confirmed.
 2. The method of claim1, wherein the first party is a payer and the second party is a payee.3. The method of claim 2, wherein the split amount is determined by thepayer.
 4. The method of claim 2, wherein the split amount is determinedby the payee.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction fee isvariable and depends on the data for the on-line transaction.
 6. Themethod of claim 5, wherein the transaction fee depends on a fundingsource of the first party and wherein the first party is a payer.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the split amount is preset before the on-linetransaction is initiated between at the least first party and secondparty.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the split amount is determinedafter the on-line transaction is initiated between the at least firstparty and the second party.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the splitamount is determined after the at least first party and second partyhave agreed on a purchase price.
 10. The method of claim 8, wherein thesplit amount is determined during a checkout process.
 11. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the split amount is split between the first party, thesecond party, and at least a third party.
 12. The method of claim 11,further comprising allocating credits to or debits from the first party,the second party, and the at least third party based in part on thesplit amount.
 13. A machine-readable medium comprising a plurality ofmachine-readable instructions which when executed by one or moreprocessors of a server are adapted to cause the server to perform amethod comprising: receiving data for an on-line transaction between atleast a first party and a second party; determining by a paymentprovider a transaction fee for the on-line transaction; receiving asplit amount for the transaction fee between at least the first partyand the second party, wherein the split amount is variable and dependson at least one of the parties; and processing a payment request basedon the data and the split amount if the on-line transaction and thesplit amount are confirmed.
 14. The machine-readable medium of claim 13,the first party is a payer and the second party is a payee and the splitamount is determined by the payer.
 15. The machine-readable medium ofclaim 13, the first party is a payer and the second party is a payee andthe split amount is determined by the payee.
 16. The machine-readablemedium of claim 13, wherein the transaction fee is variable and dependson the data for the on-line transaction.
 17. The machine-readable mediumof claim 16, wherein the transaction fee depends on a funding source ofthe first party and wherein the first party is a payer.
 18. Themachine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the split amount is presetbefore the on-line transaction is initiated between at the least firstparty and second party.
 19. The machine-readable medium of claim 13,wherein the split amount is determined after the on-line transaction isinitiated between the at least first party and the second party.
 20. Themachine-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the split amount is splitbetween the first party, the second party, and at least a third party.21. The machine-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the method furthercomprises allocating credits to or debits from the first party, thesecond party, and the at least third party based in part on the splitamount.
 22. An on-line payment system comprising: means for receivingdata for an on-line transaction between at least a first party and asecond party; means for determining by a payment provider a transactionfee for the on-line transaction; means for receiving a split amount forthe transaction fee between at least the first party and the secondparty, wherein the split amount is variable and depends on at least oneof the parties; and means for processing a payment request based on thedata and the split amount if the on-line transaction and the splitamount are confirmed.